
THE COUNTRY. 



ACROSS THE COUNTRY 



c.vi. ^ooxW, 



/ 






^ 



I dedicate to my fellow travellers this short accoiiiit of our 
journey of six; weeks to California, liopiug it may remind 
them of its pleasant ineidents. 

To our manaj4'er, who planned and so carefully coudncted 
our trip, I give my most lieai'ty thanks. 

C. II. P., .Iii. 
Blue mil, Millon, M<uh. 
Sept. 5, 1889. 



ACIIOSS THE COUNTRY. 



A PARTY of seven started on a trip across the 
country one day in the middle of February, 1889. 
The following newspaper extract explains the object 
of the journey : — 

The wedding of Mr. Jackson, the attorney for the Penn- 
sylvania Railroad, and Miss Forbes will take place this week, 
at the home of the bride's father, in San Francisco. The 
intended groom is now on his way here with a party of 
friends. He resides at Newark, and has held the position of 
Speaker of the House of Representatives of the New Jersey 
Legislature. His brother and best man, who accompanies 
him, Mr. H. W. Jackson, is one of Chicago's most successful 
lawyers, Avhere he is attorney for the Pullman Car Company. 
The ladies of the party are the Misses Julia and Hannah 
Jackson, sisters of the groom. Miss Parker of Boston, and a 
cousin. Miss Wolcott of New York, and they are all lineal 
descendants of Mr. Oliver Wolcott, one of the signers of the 
Deelaration of Independence in 1776. 



6 



Leaving Jersey City by way of the Pennsylvania 
railroad at six o'clock in the afternoon, we travelled 
all night through Pennsylvania and took breakfjist at 
Pittsbuigli. Then, after passing through Ohio and 
Indiana, we arrived at Chicago at half past nine in the 
evening, where we were delighted to rest in a comfort- 
able bed and to spend two days at the Grand Pacific 
hotel. 

The day after our anival in Chicago was Sunday, 
and foin^ of our party went to hear Mr. Swing preach 
at the Music Hall. The service was quite pleasant, 
with a sermon, prayer, two hymns and Schubert's Ser- 
enade played finely on the organ. In the afternoon 
we took a walk along Michigan Avenue and had a 
good view of the lake as the avenue runs along 
beside it. 

The buildings of Chicago are massive and impres- 
sive ; the flatness of the city making them look very 
solid and even. We saw the Republican Convention 
building where Blaine was nominated four years ago. 

Monday morning two of us took a drive around 
town and after doing two or three errands, we w^ent to 
Lincoln Park which is very prettily situated on the 
lake. Near it are many handsome residences. 



We left Chicago at noon on the Chicago, Burlington 
and Quincy road, which is called the cheapest, best and 
quickest. Travelling that afternoon through Illinois 
we saw some pretty ranches dotted over the plains and 
surrounded by tall, stately trees. After crossing the 
Mississippi at Burlington, we settled for the night, 
awakino; the next morninij: in Nebraska and takinjj; 
breakfast at its capital, Lincoln, which appeared to me 
very small. 

We travelled all that day through Nebraska and a 
part of Colorado, passing innumerable ranches, mud 
huts, snow sheds, and herds of cattle. The plains are 
very impressive, like a great ocean, with little villages, 
lonely farms and an occasional wagon or man on horse- 
back instead of ships. Every now and then the plains 
again were covered with snow, looking like a sea of 
ice, and the sunset glow over all was exquisite. The 
ranches are little groups of a small house, big barns, 
a windmill, a clump of trees and many cattle. We 
stopped at one of these ranches for meals ; the loneli- 
ness gave us a feeling of being in mid ocean. 

We arrived at " The Windsor," Denver, at nine 
o'clock in the evening, after a pleasant and comfort- 
able journey. The uext morning we all went out to 



8 



the suburbs of the city and had a beautiful view of the 
surrounding mountains covered with snow, and ol' 
Pike's Peak in the distance. The city is very prett}' 
and has many handsome buildings, and lying as it does 
in a valley, the views of the snow-capped mountains at 
the heads of the streets give it a Swiss look. The 
houses are little two-story brick buildings, in a very 
picturesque style of architecture, and there are also 
some handsome, large residences. We took a walk and 
visited some stores where very pretty pressed wild 
flowers of the Rocky Mountains and agates and min- 
erals were kept. We saw at one of them a petrified 
Indian, which was a horrible sight. 

Wednesday, at one o'clock, we started for Colorado 
Springs, passing on our way some grand mountains 
and curious, castle-like formations of rock. On arriv- 
ing at the Springs, as we were to leave next morning 
for Salt Lake City, we drove out to Manitou and 
thought it very pretty with its circle of mountains 
and Pike's Peak for a background. Coming back, we 
caught a glimpse of the Garden of the Gods, which 
seemed picturesque, but rather disappointing on the 
whole. The " Antlers," our hotel, is only a few miles 
from Maniton, and we were glad to return to it and 



9 



settle for the night. The house is large and comfort- 
able — Queen Anne in style. 

Thursday, at eleven, we left for Salt Lake City, in 
the narrow-gauge cars, which were uncomfortable com- 
pared with the other cars. But we soon entered on 
such grand mountain scenery that our discomforts 
were forgotten. We first came to the Royal Gorge, 
which is a remarkable pass between two high moun- 
tains of rock. The railroad runs along the side of one 
of them and turns around some sharp curves. The 
river Arkansas flows through the gorge alongside the 
railroad. We wound through continual mountain 
passes the rest of the day. We climbed Marshall 
Pass in the dark with two engines, going around and 
around and gradually making our way up to the height 
of 10,000 feet. Then as we descended the other side 
of the mountains, still curving around, we could see 
our engine turning several feet below us. This pass 
divides the rivers of the two oceans, feeding the Colo- 
rado on the west side, on its way to the Pacific Ocean, 
and the Arkansas on the east side, as it flows to the 
Atlantic. 

The next day, we passed Castle Gate, which is' a 
remarkable formation. A great flat rock making a 



10 



sheer, outward wall, almost closes the pass, leaving 
barely room enough for the railroad to go through. 
We then crossed into Utah and leaving the mountains 
behind us, came down into a beautiful valley, flat and 
encircled by mountains. 

We soon arrived in Salt Lake City and went di- 
rectly to the Walker House, where we spent the 
night. The next morning we took a long drive around 
the town, which disappointed me. We went to the 
"Temple," a high, showy building of white stone and 
unfurnished, and to the " Tabernacle," where we heard 
ji pin drop, Avhile we were in the gallery at one end of 
the building, and the man who dropped the pin at 
the other end and down stairs ; the Tabernacle being 
boatrshaped. This Tabernacle is rather bare, with a 
bee-hive painted at one end and a great ornament of 
everlasting evergreen hanging from the centre of the 
ceiling, which we were told had hung there ten years. 
The seats were arranged in tiers, the president sitting 
high up, then the apostles, and so on. We saw the 
Bee-hive, an enclosure of forty acres, in which Brig- 
ham Young's whole family live. The land belonged 
to Brigham, and now his nineteen wives and their chil- 



11 



dren and grand-children live there, making qnite a 
settlement. We saw his grave which is enclosed with 
an iron fence, and is dug twenty-six feet deep, and has 
thirty-two tons weight of granite on it. We also saw 
a small house called " Love's cottage," which belongs 
to a cruzj^ man, who is still expecting the return of 
his wife, who died on her way to him from Europe and 
was buried at sea. The house is one story high, and 
decorated with wreath of everlastings, flags, curtains 
and draperies. The poor husband burns a lamp in the 
window all night, so that if his wife returns at any 
time, she may find him. It was the shock of hearing 
of her death that made him crazy. From the top of 
a hill which we climbed, and from which beautiful 
views of the city, the mountains, and Fort Douglas 
in the distance were to be had, we saw the mountain, 
on the top of which an angel is supposed to have 
appeared to Brigham Young, and to have revealed to 
him the religion which he was to follow, and where a 
monument is to be raised to commemorate the event. 



We started that Saturday afternoon for San Fran- 
cisco, clianging at Ogden, where we had supper, and 
passed Salt Lake after dark, but had a view of it by 



12 



moonlight. The hike appeared to be divided, for a 
broad view of it was hidden on account of the moun- 
tains around, and because of the mountainous islands 
in it. On and on we went the next day through the 
rough, wild and sandy country of Nevada. We liad 
occasional glimpses of Indians. We were two nights 
and a day on the cars, — our (irst trip of thirty-six 
hours, — but we enjoyed it, although we had been 
travelling so long. During the night we passed 
through forty miles of snow-sheds, but, as it was dark, 
they did not trouble us. 

Monday morning, when we awoke we looked upon 
the beautiful green trees and foliage of California. 
We arrived at Oakland at seven o'clock and went at 
once to the boat, which soon took us across the 
bay to San Francisco. We were carried away with 
delight at seeing such a sight. Ships were sailing in 
the bay, about the beautiful green islands, and tlie 
sun, rising amid superb clouds, illuminated the scene ; 
added to this a little glimpse of the Golden Gate, 
and you may well believe it was glorious. 

We took an omnibus to the Palace Hotel, which 
some would think really a palace, it is so large ; l)ut 



13 



in my view, it is aiiytliing but palatial in ventilation. 
We had rooms, the only windows of which open on an 
immense enclosed court, lighted by skylights and very 
noisy, for the floor of it is covered with asphalt, and 
the carriages and teams drive in to dump the trunks 
there. The walls are white and (;lean, kept so by 
Chinamen who are always scrubbing them. The 
hotel is seven stories high, and the halls extend all 
around this immense courtyard. At the corners of the 
tall, white railing, are palms and many other plants. 
When you drive into the court through the two great 
gateways, it seems like entering a vast amphitheatre. 

We took a trip through the city in the cal^le cars, a 
remarkable invention, and went up and down the 
steepest hills ever seen. Part of each car is open, 
like the little cars in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, so 
that one can ride inside or outside as he chooses. It is 
quite exciting to ride in one. 

We went to the Cliff House, which is built right on 
the shore of the Pacific ocean. A few rods away from 
it are the famous seal rocks, on which one can see the 
seals crawling about and hear their barking. The 
hotel is situated on a high cliff from which there is a 
beautiful view of the Golden Gate not far off. The 



14 



ocean was veiy pleasing to the eye after so nuicli 
country, and the surf was grjind. The air was so 
babny that it was hard to believe that it was still 
February. 

The next morning we looked around the city for a 
short time and then went out to the Presidio, the fort 
of Winfield Scott, which is at the Golden Gate. There 
are some pretty houses there, parade-grounds, and a 
park. The wild flowers at the fort, which is at the 
foot of one of the hills forming the Golden Gate, were 
very pretty, and the views of the ocean through the 
Gate and of San Francisco at our feet were beautiful. 
Everything was bright and green, and lovely flowers, 
such as roses and lilies, were in front of the pretty 
summer cottages. In going through San Francisco 
we saw flowers of many kinds in the gardens. There 
were palms of many varieties, laurestina, white daisies 
and heliotrope and callas were so common that we 
tired of them. The hedges are very pretty, and the 
tall, thick-leaved eucalyptus tree makes a very pleas- 
ant shade. By looking down some of the side streets, 
fine views of the water and of the surrounding moun- 
tains ma^■ be had. 



15 



It seems to me that certainly a third and even a lialf 
ot the people of San Francisco are Chinese. You see 
them everywhere, with their moonlike faces and set 
expression, and their long black pigtails hanging down 
so as almost to touch the gronnd. Some wear very 
pretty silks of light blue, but all have the same style 
of dress. 

One evening eight of us went to Chinatown with a 
guide. It was very exciting. We started first for the 
Joss Temple, which we expected would be a large and 
beautiful building, but was greatly disappointed. We 
went up some narro^\^ old stairs as if we were going to 
a garret, and then up another dark staircase, till we 
came to some Cliine.^e watchmen in behind somethimi: 
like a counter. In a moderate sized room, in which 
were no seats, were the. altars, made of carved wood, 
and on them were idols with all sorts of decorations 
around them. When we went down ai>:ain, we saw 
soiiie of the stores, and the uuide showed us some 
bark which was elastic, and which the Chinese eat 
to give themselves muscle. The people didn't seem 
to mind our guide's pulling their wares about, for 
perhaps they were afraid of him. We next started 



\ 



16 



for some '• opium dens," and went through the 
lighted streets past crowds of Chinamen, who stood 
and gazed at us, till we came to little, narrow alley- 
ways leading down into a kind of cellar. Our guide 
would open the door of one of these places and let us 
go in. Inside, would be a small room surrounded by 
bunks, and perhaps sixteen Chinamen would be lying 
around in most extraordinary positions, and many of 
them rolling about and all smoking opium in their 
long pipes. The odor of the dens was disgusting 
and so overpowering that we could scarcely breathe. 
In the middle of the rooms, at a table, would be sitting 
a Chinaman eating rice with chopsticks. The smok- 
ers lie there sometimes for three days with nothing to 
eat but rice. At their sides are little lamps, and tapers 
which they burn. ' 

We next went to the theatre, and after paying at 
the box, passed down some steep, narrow and broken 
stairs to an underground passage, off which were little 
closet rooms. Then we went up stairs and, landed in 
the green room wliore ;ill ihc actors were painting and 
dressing and the prompter reading the play. We 
passed through the crowd on to the stage and then 
took seats. The building w;is crowded and very liot. 



17 

All the women present, and there were but few, were 
in the gallery, and the mass of men were on the floor, 
all looking intently at the stage. Their yellow faces 
looking straight forward were an amusing sight. The 
men smoked, adding a smell to the already close air, 
and threw their burning matches on the floor. As 
the floor was made of wood, as well as the whole 
building, we were kept in a state of fear as to the 
safety of the place. The actors seemed to be deeply 
engaged in a love story, which was accompanied and 
interrupted by what I suppose should be called a band. 
This band was composed of very curious instruments, 
such as cymbals, a kind of guitar, and a hammer made 
of iron, on the handle of which they played with a 
bow, and made a horrible squeak. The united sound 
of these instruments would come in a crash at what 
seemed the end of every sentence. We stayed about 
twenty minutes watching a remarkably attired woman 
who cried bitterly and lashed her flowing hair on the 
ground, while a man with a wild looking face scolded 
her. Then we became so warm that we left as we 
liad entered, by the green room. When we reached 
the open air we felt as if we had been pulled through 
a keyhole. 



18 



We next visited a restaurant, where some little girls 
were making tea. Two men, sitting there, wore much 
excited over a o-ame in which each would shout a word 
and put out his finger in peculiar positions at the same 
thue. The one who won would take a bean from the 
other, aiid sometimes one would have but a single 
bean left, but would soon get twenty more in succes- 
sion. Here we ended our excursion in Chinatown and 
w^ent home very much stirred up. 

The next morning, after packing and a short walk, 
we left for Monterey, w^here we arrived at half past 
seven in the evening. That night, as it was late and 
dark, we could not see much of our surroundings; but 
the next morning was beautiful, and as I looked out of 
my window in the Hotel del Monte on to the open 
court below, wdth its green law^n dotted with jiietty 
plants, it was like being in paradise. In front of the 
hotel, which is very large, with two long wings run- 
ning back and forming the court, is a great stretch of 
smooth green grass shaded b}- the beautiful live-oak, 
which forms charming arbors. The artistically laid out 
grounds are covered with palms, periwinkle and ferns, 
and flowers of every kind are planted alongside the 



19 



hotel ; one side l)eing banked entirely with heliotrope. 
About live minutes' walk from the hotel is the beach, 
which is very long and hcautiful, and the view of tlie 
mountains in the distance, across the bay, is extremely 
fine. The tt)wn oi' Monterey is about two miles dis- 
tant, and is very old and uninteresting except for its 
picturesque cliffs and rough coast. We took many 
drives long to be remembered for the beautiful, green, 
inland country, as well as for the exquisite coast 
scenery. 

We remaine;! at this delightful and peaceful place 
three whole 'lays, which were fully appreciated after 
our exciting rambles in San Francisco, then left for 
Santa Barbara by stage over the Santa Ynez moun- 
tains. We drove seventeen miles through green hilly 
country, very fertile and good grazing land, which re- 
minded us of Berkshire county in Massachusetts. The 
birds were singing and everything was like a per- 
fect day in June. At Salinas we took the train for 
Templeton, and from there we went in an old-fixshioned 
stage-coach and six horses over the mountains to San 
Luis Obispo, where we spent the night. 

We stopped at the Hotel Ramona, and found our- 
selves just outside of a small old town among the 



20 



mountains, very quiet and picturesque. The next 
morning we sauntered around the town and visited 
the Catholic Mission church, which gives the place 
quite a Spanish air. This was the first mission we had 
seen. Then we went to the Convent of the Immacu- 
late Heart where we were shown all over the school 
by two polite sisters. The children sang '' Columbia, 
the gem of the ocean " for us, and we saw them play- 
ing in the little garden behind, which looks very much 
like pictures of French schools. We were much 
pleased with some beautiful pink roses of a rare tint. 

That afternoon we took the train for Los Olivos, the 
second and last place at which we stopped on our jour- 
ney over the mountains from Monterey to Santa Bar- 
bara. We arrived at this town in the evening and left 
early the next morning by stage, with a fifty-mile 
mountain drive before us. We passed over beautiful 
green fields, j ust like English park lands — not like a 
stage road at home. The meadows were filled with 
wild flowers, the most common of which was the yel- 
low violet, and the hillsides were purple with a delicate 
orchid. We stopped at the home station for dinner. 
It was a picturesque little ranch, with n lovely peach 
tree in bloom just outside the window. 



21 



After leaving there we began to climb the mountain, 
which seemed interminable. Tlie narrow road wind- 
ing up was very smooth and well built, and the 
engineer who built the road was on the box with the 
driver and pointed out objects of mterest. When we 
began to descend, as we swung around sharp curves, 
with but twa feet between us and a steep precipice of 
six hundred feet, the driver won our admiration by his 
skillful management of six horses. It had taken us 
four hours to go up the mountain, — we came down in 
two. It was just like Marshall Pass, and the views 
were beyond description. Coming down the mountain 
we had, from this great height, a fine view of the city 
of Santa Barbara, and of the ocean and islands far 
below. Driving into the city, we passed a large 
orano-e strove which was beautiful to behold and loaded 

O o 

witli fruit. 

We reached our hotel, the Arlington, at five in the 
afternoon, after our long drive, which was made ([uite 
exciting by the anticipation of stage robbers. Our 
stage had been " held up " a month before, and the 
detectives were still hunting the neighborhood for 
traces of the roadmen. We saw two men lying at the 



22 



side of the road in the wildest part of our way, whom 
some thoiiu'ht iiiust be the robbers. We had been 
warned at Los Olivos to hide our jewelry; so the rings 
were hidden, and one lady put her watch in her l^on- 
net. Some hid their money in their shoes or under 
the carriage seat. 

We found the Arlington full, and Mr. Moody, the 
evangelist, was there. We were surprised to have 
music at dinner, though we didn't like it very well. 
The programme of the concert was printed on the back 
of the menu and we thought it quite a novelty. In the 
morning we went to tlie beach and washed our hands 
in the Pacific which we had forgotten to do at Monte- 
rey and San Francisco. Then we went to hear Mr. 
Moody and found him very strong and interesting. 

The flowers are beautiful and cheap — one. can 
buy a pretty bunch of pink roses for twenty cents. 
From the hotel one has a good view of the mountains 
which are directly in front, and while we were there 
the clouds were down upon them giving us a glorious 
sunset. In the afternoon we took a drive up among 
the hills to a fine residence surrounded with beautiful 
flowers and brilliant acacia, and had magnificent views 
of the ocean and of the hills back of us. We saw a 



23 



grapevine forty years oUl, and great fields of pampas 
grass. 

We visited the old Mission and went in and heard 
the monks chanting their vespers in the gallery. It 
was a solemn and to me a novel sight. The outside 
of the chnrch was of old, yellow stone, with a small 
amount of carving. It had two towers, in which hung 
two large bells. Inside, there were several altars — 
one large and highly decorated at the end of the 
church, besides four others, two on each side. Next 
day I went alone to the cliiirch and a monk showed 
me the belfry, in climbing to which we had to go up a 
flight of old, narrow stone steps, and from which one 
has grand views. I was honored, too, by being taken 
into the yard, where no ladies are allowed, and which 
is the promenade of the '• Seven Friars.'' Horses in 
Santa Barbara were as plentiful, or more so, than dogs 
in most places — cunning little mustangs with Mexican 
bridles and saddles. They guided perfectly by the 
neck and required no driving ; so half the time, one 
could ride with the reins on the pommel and hands in 
the lap. 

We left Santa Barbara that Friday afternoon, trav- 
elling for a while close to the shore, with its foaming 



24 



surf and high cliffs. On this journey we passed the 
house where Ramona once lived. We arrived at Los 
Angeles at eight in the evening and spent the night 
there. In the morning w^e took a ride around the city 
in the cable cars, which go up some steep hills, but 
not equal to those of San Francisco. What pleased me 
most in the city were four enormous palm trees, each 
a hundred years old. The residences were tastefully 
laid out with green grass in " apple-pie order " and 
orange trees, palms, lilies, heliotrope, roses and daisies 
in profusion. The wild flowers, too, are very abundant 
— one gentleman counted one hundred and eighty dif- 
erent varieties. 

We drove out to Pasadena in the early afternoon, 
taking a roundabout way in order to see the country. 
Lower in the valley — surrounded b}^ the grand old 
mountains — were acres of vineyards and of orange 
groves, of pine-apples, pepper and eucalyptus trees. 
We sav/ the old Mission at San Gabriel and " Lucky 
Baldwin's " immense orange and ajoricot groves. We 
had a pretty sight when a large flock of sheep, prob- 
aljly seven hundred in number, as they were driven by 
a collie over a green hill, looked like a cloud of snow 
driven by the wind. 



L>5 



Arriving at Pasadena, we put u]) at the " Raymond" 
situated ooiispiciiousl}^ on a hill which seems to crown 
the valley. Tlie word Pasadena meaning the crown of 
the valley, very fitly describes the place. Sunday we 
went in the morning to the new Episcopal clmrcli. In 
the afternoon, we took a short walk around the hotel 
and had a good view of Bald mountain covered with 
snow — the clouds having lifted so we could just see it. 
It seemed remarkable to see snow so near where 
oranges blossomed and even the fruit itself was grow- 
in"', and where flowers were blooming all around. We 
visited Sierra. Madre, a beautiful spot, near the foot of 
the mountains, surrounded by orange trees and palms 
— a very quiet place for invalids, who, as the hotel is 
small, can be undisturbed. We enjoyed our drive there 
very much — the mountains rising among the broken 
clouds were very beautiful, and the fields were fairly 
aglow with the yellow poppy. 

That afternoon was our last in California before 
leaving for the East, and we packed with regret ; for 
it was hard to leave that sunny land of flowers, where 
we enjoyed such delightful times. In the evening we 
left in our '• old friend," the sleeping-car, for El Paso, 
Texas, arising the next morning only to look upon a 



26 



very barren country in place of the land of perpetunl 
bloom which we had left. We breakfasted at Yuma, 
Arizona, where there were many Indians, with long, 
shaggy black hair, brilliantly dressed in gay blankets, 
and sitting at the foot of a great sand hill near the 
station, which they were helping to dig away. 

After this, our way was through a sandy country, 
barren except for sage-bush — about i\]\ we could see 
was the sand hills in the distance. We passed a re- 
markably large variet}^ of cacti, among which were 
some that i>:rew very high, eight feet or so, in one 
spike and then near the top l)ranched out, looking like 
giant candelabra. There were many small cacti, blos- 
soming close to the ground, and many wild flowers, 
especially the yellow poppy, grew profusely from the 
sand. The hot springs were interesting and curious — 
we could see the steam rising in the distance from the 
desert. 

We arrived at El Paso the next morning near noon- 
time and went to an old southern hotel, which was 
very small and crowded with travellers. The darkc}' 
bell-boys amused and startled us by sliding down i\w 
stair-i'ail, which wa,s quitu steep and the stairs narrow, 



27 



making it very (laiigerous, except for tlie darkeys who 
were .skilliul at it. They leaned half way across, and 
went down with tlieir heads on the outside and without 



taking hold. 



We drove into Mexico in the al'ternoon, by crossing 
the Rio Grande, which is quite shallow at El Paso. 
We saw beaiitilul Mexican opals, fans and pretty mod- 
els in the stores. The old white adobe houses almost 
without windows were very picturesque, and the coiui- 
try aroun<l looked exceedingly ])arren — sand every- 
where, clay mounds ibr walls, and little muddy streams 
of water running in gutters of clay along the road. 
The sandy land seemed utterly useless for anything 
and must make an idle people. We saw a structure 
where bull-fights were held ; but it was being pulled 
down, for the season was over. The dark Mexicans 
were quite pretty in their gay shawls as they stood 
in the doorways of their white, clay houses. Paso del 
Norte, the town which we visited, was interesting, but 
everybody seemed idle and there was nothing in the 
way of beauty there. 

As for El Paso, it was surrounded by sand plains, or, 
rather, that was the only thing I could see over the 
low Ijuildings from my chaudjer window. It was very 



28 



hot and dry while we were there — no sign of grass — 
and the only thing in the \\'ay of n park was a small 
enclosiii-e of paths with a fe\v seats and a flagpole ne<n- 
the fence. The dust was horrible — the sand ))lowing 
into your face and eyes like a snow storm. 

Having had enough of El Paso, we left the place the 
next da}^ and travelled on through the flat, sandy 
country all the following day and night. As we 
looked out from the platform of the last car, there was 
nothing to be seen but the railroad tracks and the tel- 
egraph poles, and perhaps occasionally the reuiaius oi" 
an unfortunate cow that had died probably from thirst 
and hunger. The heat was intolerable, and we were 
glad on the second day of our journe}- to reach San 
Antonio — though we suffered from the heat there, too. 

San Antonio is quite a large city. It has many light 
wooden houses in the city part, and handsoiiie stone 
houses at the Military Post. The cars are drawn by 
mules. We visited two interesting old missions outside 
the city, in driving to which we had to ford the San 
Antonio river with the water almost up to the door of 
the carriage. The horses splashing through the water 
was very exciting. The driver told us a man had been 



29 



drowned in the river while driving through ;i short 
while before. 

The Post, which i.s just outside the city, has a beau- 
tiful green parade ground surrouuded by the hand- 
some stone houses of the oiticers, which are decorated 
with beautiful rose vines and flowers — very different 
from the houses at El Paso. 'I'his Post is an important 
one because it and Fort Leavenworth are the only mili- 
tary stations in the United States which have artillery, 
cavalry and infantry together. It is also the stoie- 
house of the western posts, and as it is on the boundary 
line of Mexico it is of utmost value to the government. 
We witnessed the dress parade, which, as it was tlie 
first parade of the season, was quite a grand affair. 
While in the city we attended a play called ''Siberia," 
in which was incduded the march of the exiles to Sibe- 
ria in a snow-storm. The snow-storm was quite re- 
freshing to us Northerners in such a hot climate. 
Sunday we went to church and a, dog sat in the pew 
behind us. 

Monday we left for New Orleans at l.oO in i\ie 
morning — seeing the sun rise and set that day in 
Texas. All the morning — which seemed a long one 
— we travelled in a common car, and had the roughest 



30 



ride we had yet had on oui- trip — the road having 
been much washed by a severe rainstorm. We 
changed cars at Houston, Texas, and went into a com- 
fortable sleeping car for the night, fully appreciating 
the comforts of our Pullman after our tiresome day. 
All through the evening we could see beautiful prairie 
fires from our car windows. Leaving Houston we 
entered a country of woods and swamps, which re- 
minded us we were nearing Louisiana and getting East 
again. 

At eight in the morning we arrived at New Orleans, 
but had to cross the Mississippi river before entering 
the city. We settled at the St. Charles for three days, 
during which time we visited Lake Ponchartrain, the 
Country Club, the West End, Spanish Fort, the Cathe- 
dral, the L(!e statue and the burying ground and many 
other places. The Cathedral was very graufl and inter- 
esting, situated on Jackson Square, and surroimded by 
low buildings. The mai-ket was very large and curi- 
ous, having in it everything from bananas to dresses. 

The levees were picturesque with their bales of col- 
ton an'l the negroes in their gay bandannas. The city 
itself is very old, interesting and Frenchy ; many peo- 
ple wearing black in Lent, and the posting of death 



81 



notices on the street corners and open theatres on 
Sunday, made things seem quite foreign. The cotton 
pahxce was a queer-looking buihling, ornamented out- 
side with cotton and straw, being almost completely 
covered with them. They have " cake-walks" in the 
[)alace which are said to be amusing. We met a Ray- 
mond party here, on its way to Mexico. Their way of 
travelling seems to be very complete. 

Late Thursday afternoon we started for Chicago, 
seeing a lovely sunset over the swamps, and having a 
beautiful view of the lake as we left New Orleans. 
That night we travelled through Mississippi and the 
next day through small portions of Tennessee and 
Kentucky, and the next night tlirough the wliole 
length of Illinois, arriving early in the morning at 
Chicago. We crossed the Ohio at Cairo, Illinois, by 
ferry boat, the view of the river at its junction with 
the Mississippi being grand in the extreme. 

We returned once more to the " Grand Pacific," 
which looked very natural, as did Prof. Swing when 
we heard him Sunday morning again, just five weeks 
after we had heard him on the w;iy out. In the after- 
noon we went throuu;!! a tunnel under the Chicago 
river to the St. James cluu'ch, which is very brilliant 



32 



inside. The services are high, with choir boys. We 
also saw the prison where the anarchists were hung. 

Monday we left for Newark, N. J., travelling all day 
through Indiana and Ohio, and awaking the next 
morning in the Hame but beautifid Alleghanies. We 
rolled into New Jersey at about three o'clock that 
afternoon, finding ever^^thing still wintry in March 
after having had summer. 

We were glad to rest again after our long but de- 
lightful journey, — although it had been taken so easily 
and comfortably, without an accident, and with only 
one day in which it had rained. 



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